2006 John Muir Chapter Autumn Assembly
October 6-8
Southeast Gateway Group, Host

Volunteer to help --contact any SEGG ExCom member -- see back page of the printed newsletter.

If you can’t volunteer, be sure to attend all or part of this exciting and stimulating event

Colonial Park & Pringle Nature Center
by John Berge

"Think globally and act locally" has been a phrase chanted by the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations for years. Have you thought of applying it to our efforts at removing alien, invasive plant species and replacing them with native plants in Colonial Park in Racine and at the Pringle Nature Center in Kenosha County?

Our efforts in these two "adopted" parks to restore them to their more natural flora and fauna are part of a global effort to preserve biodiversity in two local, readily accessible situations. When we first started our restoration work in Colonial Park, we had large turnouts of volunteers from the Sierra Club and the St. Catherine's High School Environmental Club. A lot of buckthorn and honeysuckle were removed allowing the dormant seeds, both of native and invasive species, to germinate and to fill in the ground story along the Root River Pathway and throughout the adjacent woods.

Did some people think that the restoration work would be quick and easily accomplished? If so, they were greatly mistaken. The Southeast Gateway Group's Conservation Committee, as ratified by the Executive Committee, has established the fourth Saturday of every month (when the temperatures are above freezing) as work days for both Colonial Park and Pringle Nature Center. We work generally from 8:30 a.m. to noon, although some can't come that early or may have to leave before twelve.

The number of volunteers have gradually dwindled so that in June we were down to just seven people, two of which could not work the full morning. We still got a lot done; bags full of dame's rocket for the landfill and piles of weeds for the compost pile. But where we once were definitely winning the battle against the buckthorn, honeysuckle, garlic mustard, dame's rocket and other alien, invasive plant species, we may not be now. We need more workers!

If you are one of those who helped out earlier, come on back! If you are one of those who contribute your dues to the Sierra Club and maybe write a letter now and then, why not join us for just three hours a month of real local action on a global problem? We have people who will train you on the job and will supply the tools to get that days' particular task done if you don't have them. It is fun, it gives one a sense of accomplishment, it is a service to our communities and to the local environment, and it is what the Sierra Club is all about. Please join us on the fourth Saturday of each non-winter month. If you have questions or need directions, call Barry Thomas (262) 859-2960 about the Pringle Nature Center and John Berge (262) 633-8455 or Melissa Warner (262) 639-0918 for Colonial Park.
 

Call for Candidates…

The Southeast Gateway Group (SEGG) Nominating Committee is seeking candidates to run in the fall election for positions on the SEGG Executive Committee. Each position has a tenure of two years. The SEGG Executive Committee meets once a month (except for July) on the second Thursday of each month. Any SEGG member from Racine, Kenosha or Walworth County is encouraged to consider running for one of the four available positions. Candidates are asked to submit a brief biographical statement that tells why they want to run and what they can bring to the club.

Please submit your name and biographical information by September 1st to any member of the Nominating Committee: Barb Meyocks: dflath AT wi.rr DOT com, (262) 654-2208; Dana Huck: dhuck1 AT wi.rr DOT com, (262) 639-0465; Gary Zumach: gzumach AT wi DOT net, (262) 498-2656.
 

Calendar:

August 2: Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters election kickoff, 5:00–7:00 p.m. at Riverside Boater's Lounge, 949 Erie Street in Racine.

August 3: Conservation Committee Meeting at Berges' house, 1529 Crabapple Drive in Racine at 7:00 p.m. Contact John at 633-8455 with any questions, items for the agenda or other information. We are always looking for new members for this and the other committees of the local group.

August 10: Executive Committee Meeting at the Northside Kenosha Public Library, 1500 27th Ave., Kenosha at 7:00 p.m.

August 26: Work day at Colonial Park and Pringle Nature Center from 8:30 to noon. See lead article for more details. Wear appropriate attire and bring work gloves, spades, loppers and/or clippers and if you can.

September 1: Southeast Sierran Deadline. Send articles, etc., electronically by using the information on the back page, or send by mail to: Gary Zumach, 2548 Pinehurst Ave., Racine, WI 53403.

September 7: Conservation Committee Meeting at Berges’ house, 1529 Crabapple Drive in Racine at 7:00 p.m. Contact John at 633-8455 with any questions, items for the agenda or other information. We are always looking for new members for this and the other committees of the local group.

September 14: Executive Committee Meeting at the Northside Kenosha Public Library, 1500 27th Ave., Kenosha at 7:00 p.m.

September 21: Buckthorn Removal Study at Pringle. Did you know that there has been an on-going research project at Pringle Nature Center to study different methods of control and removal of buckthorn? Come to Pringle for this regular monthly meeting to learn about this interesting project. We will meet in front of the nature center, and hike out in the woods behind the center to view the research area. The hike will begin about 6:00 p.m. After the hike, we will go inside the nature center for an informal buffet of sandwiches and picnic-type foods. We will be asking for a small donation to cover the cost of the food. Carla Klein, our new chapter director, will attend and be introduced to us that night. Pringle Nature Center is located in Bristol Woods County Park, south of Highway 50 on county highway MB (160th Ave.), Kenosha. Follow the driveway into the county park all the way to the last parking area. Please let us know if you plan to attend, so we will have an idea of how much food to prepare. Please RSVP by September 17 to Juanita, at (262) 835-7791, or e-mail her at jjp72696@aol.com .

September 23: Work day at Colonial Park and Pringle Nature Center from 8:30 to noon. See lead article for more details. Wear appropriate attire and bring work gloves, spades, loppers and/or clippers and if you can.

September 30: Highway 38 Cleanup. Meet at Bob and Betty Gericke's house, 3927 North Lane, Franksville for equipment and assignments at 9:00 a.m. Learn how some people can’t tell the difference between a car window and a wastebasket. There will be a potluck lunch after the cleanup. Call Bob or Betty at (262) 886-9057 for directions or additional information.

October 5: Conservation Committee Meeting at Berges' house, 1529 Crabapple Drive in Racine at 7:00 p.m. Contact John at 633-8455 with any questions, items for the agenda or other information. We are always looking for new members for this and the other committees of the local group.

October 7, 8 ,9: John Muir Chapter Autumn Assembly. The Southeast Gateway Group hosts this annual gathering of Wisconsin Sierra Club members at the Trefoil Oaks Program Center on Hwy. KR in Kenosha County. Complete registration and program information was published in the July-September Muir View.

October 28: Work day at Colonial Park and Pringle Nature Center from 8:30 to noon. This is also Make A Difference Day in Racine. Wear appropriate attire and bring work gloves, spades, loppers and/or clippers and if you can.
 

From the Chair…
by Nancy Hennessy

Not long ago I received a mailing (you probably did too) from our Congressman Paul Ryan. In it he shares his frustration about high gas prices and his ideas about how to solve the problem. At the top of his list of solutions is increasing the supply and in order to do that, he supports opening a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to exploration. Our Congressman needs to know that there is a better way. We must first do all we can to reduce demand.

According to John Byrne Barry in his article in the Sierra Club newsletter "The Planet", if Congress had raised fuel economy standards to 40 mpg in 1990, we'd be using barely half as much gas as we do today. In spite of past squandered opportunities by Congress, it's not too late. We've got the technology on the shelf to make all new vehicles average 40 miles per gallon within ten years. That could save the average driver more than $5,000 over the vehicle's lifetime -- and that's after accounting for the added costs of fuel-saving technology. And it could also save 4 million barrels of oil a day -- an amount equal to what the United States currently imports from the Persian Gulf and what we could get out of the Arctic Refuge combined.

Today's politically unpopular high gas prices are pressuring members of Congress to "do something". Whether congress takes steps toward a future that breaks our addiction to oil could depend on how much noise the environmental community makes. So give Congressman Ryan a call at (888) 909-7926) or drop him a line to let him know that he should rethink his priorities.

In the meantime, the Sierra Club is calling on automakers to use current technology to make all their cars, SUV's, and light trucks go farther on a gallon of gas. To sign a petition to automakers, and to find out how much you could save if CAFE standards were modernized go to the Sierra Club's "I Want My MPG" site at sierraclub.org/mpg.
 

Those Damn Dams
by Lila Berge

There are 3,800 dams on Wisconsin streams and rivers. Less than 4% are federally licensed, hydroelectric, power-producing dams on the state's largest rivers. Others were used to generate power at individual mills which are long since gone. Most are small, privately owned and were built to create ponds or reservoirs for aesthetic or recreational purposes. A few help prevent seasonal flooding.

Wisconsin has the distinction of building the world’s first hydroelectric generating station. Appleton's Vulcan Street Plant opened in September, 1882, to run electric street cars.

Wisconsin now has a reputation for removing old, obsolete dams to restore free-flows to rivers. However, it is not easy to satisfy everyone. While dams block fish access to historic spawning streams and canoes need to be portaged around them, the fear of spring floods or loss of a favorite pond by private land owners must be taken into consideration. Some communities still get part of their electricity from local hydropower. Reservoirs behind dams can be used during periods of low river flow to keep a power plant operating or to allow riverside manufacturers to use the river to dilute their wastewater and thus maintain production.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) took over licensing dams in 1977, requiring owners / operators to minimize environmental consequences. In 1986, a federal law required FERC to give equal consideration to both the environment and power generation when reviewing 30-year licenses. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in Wisconsin conducts environmental studies and makes recommendations about mitigation. Because FERC did not have to follow a state's recommendations, some states objected and in 1994 the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that states have broad authority under the Clean Water Act (CWA) to protect not only water quality, but also water quantity in rivers and streams.

Dam removal is not the only possible result of the negotiations regarding renewing of these 30-year licenses. In Wisconsin, a 2005 settlement with Dairyland Power's Flambeau Hydro Station near Ladysmith illustrates the benefit of DNR negotiated mitigation. Dairyland Power agreed to stop peaking water flows twice a day. Thus, Flambeau River flows should fluctuate less for anglers and canoers, and fish habitat should improve. In western Wisconsin, Xcel Energy made recommended changes to their dam in the Menomonie area benefiting the environment, recreation and preserving energy production.

Today, dam owners like We Energy agree to include the public in the negotiation process for relicensing dams. The result can be new access to utility land, new boat landings, hiking trails and scenic values.

There are, however, concerns that the current U.S. Supreme Court may back off on giving the environment equal consideration versus corporations. DNR staff and funding cuts impair their ability to do the necessary studies, make and enforce recommendations. Where public rivers are used for private gain, the Sierra Club and the state's other citizens need to be "at the table". The information in this article was obtained from the February 2006 issue of the "Wisconsin National Resources" magazine.